Mercy Cource
by Aoshi'sgirlinstraightjacket
Summary: She's human right? William Darcy works for EREA and they have a new hybrid to inspect. The only thing is that Mercy doesn't show any signs of being part animal. Other times she doesn't show any signs of being human. Can Will stop from falling in love?
1. Chapter 1

Hello!! This is the beginning of what I _**hope**_ to be a really great story. Just so you are aware, this is my first Pride & Prejudice fanfic and it's probably not going to follow the story line. It will have some sci-fi in it. If you're not used to that then you'll probably not want to read this. What am I saying? Read this!! Give me a chance to win your hearts over with my head pounding words. Ahem. On with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Footsteps echoed down the long, cavernous hallway. The dull thud of rubber soles mixed with the high pitched click of Versace heels. The walk had been so long that the noise had soon gotten on the nerves of one William Darcy. He rolled his eyes as they turned into yet another hallway that seemed to go on forever. The insanity would never end. And soon the infinite amount of doors started. Each one looked exactly the same; steel with a small window to the right of it. The man in front of them babbled on about some nonsense that none of them were listening to. All William really remembered was the sway of his white lab coat as he walked down the horrendous hallways. Jingle Bells started playing in his head to the beat of their walking. It was a habit that he had when he was bored. Soon, they were stopped abruptly by the doctor. They were in front of a door that looked like all the others. It was a wonder they weren't lost. The doctor turned toward them and smiled his goofy smile like he was proud of what was behind the doors.

"This is the first experiment that we tested on. I'd like to see if you can guess what he is." The group gave him a confused look as he turned back around and unlocked the door. As they entered, the smell of sterile liquids and metal tools hit them in waves. They shielded their eyes from the bright light that contrasted with the dim lighting of the hallways. Their were two people in identical white lab coats working at a control panel on the far side of the room. With the additional four people, the room was quite crowded. One of the men in the lab coats stood up to great them.

"Dr. Addison." he greeted while nodding his head to the others. He handed the doctor a clipboard and then turned back to the control panel.

"Is he ready?" The doctor asked while scanning the sheet. A white gloved hand moved toward a blue button on the declined ceiling that was adjacent to a wall of glass covered by a steel shield. He pushed the button and the shield broke apart into pieces and disappeared into the wall. The group peered into the room that was revealed. Inside was a replica of a rainforest. Everything was real; trees, rocks, even the occasional rain. It was like a tiny bio-dome.

"What are we supposed to be looking at?" asked a feminine voice. Dr. Addison smiled.

"Just wait Ms. Bingley. He'll show up. He loves company." As if on that exact cue, and brown blur fell from a tree and rolled on the ground. The three visitors jumped back in surprise.

"It's a monkey!" called the voice of Williams friend, Charles Bingley. Dr. Addison smiled again. He loved visitors.

"Not quite. Look closer." The group searched the animal curiously and found that it, truly, was not just a monkey.

It seemed it was more of a man with a lot of fur. The face was more primitive but the hands and feet were developed to that of a ordinary human.

"So it's a man?" Charles asked, still confused.

"It's both." he replied handing the clipboard to William. The papers held the description of the animal along with the science that got it there.

"It's a human-monkey hybrid." William said nonchalantly.

"What?" Charles and Caroline said simultaneously.

"A mix." Dr. Addison said. "Between a human and a monkey. We thought that it'd be most compatible since we are supposedly derived from monkeys. It's why you're here." William Darcy, and Charles and Caroline Bingley had been sent from the Experimentation of Rare and Extinct Animals, or EREA to investigate the studies of Dr. Max M. Addison. He was the world's most curious experiment alist and had gone underground for his latest work that, until now, had never been known.

"So, this is what we're supposed to take and look at?" Caroline said with disgust. The animal had come to the window and had started pointing at the humans. Mainly the beautiful Caroline Bingley. She'd rather not be around it.

"No." said Dr. Addison while shutting the shield. "This is just the beginning of the studies I'll take you to the one your supposed to see." And with that he led them out of the room and onto the hall.

On the way to their destination, they stopped at many more labs that harbored all sorts of hybrids. Some of them had more human qualities such as the horse and the dog. All they had was abnormal facial features and hair color. Others looked like the animal they were bred for. Animals like the dolphin which had human feet and the hamster that talked. They were all shown in the order they were created and soon they came up to the latest experiment. Unlike the rest, the doctor hesitated at this door.

"This one is more developed than the others mainly because we spent more time on her." he said warily.

"Her?" William said while cocking and eyebrow. Dr. Addison nodded.

"Yes. As you have noticed, all of the other patients have been male. This is because we can control which sex it will be and have thought that males would be easier to study. This is the one time we have created a female. She is not like the others as you will find out." Dr. Addison looked at each person before finally opening the door. All three were expecting for a wild animal to attack them or for her to be a vegetable but as they looked inside their thoughts dissipated. The room looked like an ordinary house. A small house but still, ordinary. It was all one room separated by shelves or cabinets. It contained a kitchen, bedroom, and living room with a tv and laptop. There was a small door in the far corner that held a small bathroom. Dr. Addison walked into the room as if it were his own while the others looked around for the specimen. The doctor beckoned them to follow and then handed them cups of tea.

"Why don't you come sit down. I'm sure she'll be out in a little while." With wary glances the group sat down in the living room with the doctor.

"So, what is she. What animal, I mean." Charles asked, asking the question on everyone's mind. The doctor took a sip of his tea.

"Oh. You'll find out. Did you hear on the news today about the footbridge that collapsed? It was terrible. There was about 30 people seriously injured." Dr. Addison talked on about the news. He seemed perfectly happy to hear his own voice. William's ears picked up a staccato tapping that was slowly getting on his nerves. He gazed around the room to see who was doing it and soon found this it was his own hand beating against the coffee table. Something moved in the corner of his eye but he told himself it was Charles. He was probably restless or something. Dr. Addison soon stopped his chattering and stared behind Charles.

"Ah, Mr. Bingley. Could you reach for the sugar and cream behind you?" Charles, who now bolted from sleep looked behind him. The wanted items were directly behind him and he reached to get them.

"Thanks." he said groggily as someone handed him the containers. He, in turn, handed them to Dr. Addison who was smirking at him. Charles leaned back in his chair, fully ready to go back to sleep. He couldn't help but notice that William and his sister were looking at him incredulously.

"What?" he asked. Caroline pointed behind him. He held a confused look as he turned around and came face to face with a person. He yelped at the proximity and fell to the floor along with his chair.

"She's human, right?" Caroline asked. She couldn't believe her eyes. The thing popped up out of no where but it had human characteristics. There wasn't any sign of animal genes or body parts on her.

"Oh no. No she's quite all animal. Aren't you Mercy?" Dr. Addison got up and started to analyze Mercy's health. "You look well. Say hello to our guests. They're here to talk to you." The creature stared at each person with golden eyes. She cocked her head and her long black hair fell to one side. Caroline moved closer. She began to notice the silver strands of hair under the lustrous black sheet above it. When she looked back into it's eyes, the black slitted pupils dilated as if taking in her presence and analyzing it. Bit by bit. She was mesmerized by the creature and didn't notice it come closer to her. She was startled as it took a deep breath. It's nose twitched as it took in her scent. Caroline scrunched her eyebrows together when it finally shook it's head and rubbed it's nose with the back of it's hand. Dr. Addison chuckled from behind her.

"Your probably wearing too much perfume for her liking."

"You told her that we came to talk to her. Can she talk?" William asked. Mercy, as Will assumed she was called, let her legs hang over the counter.

"Yes, I can talk quite well actually." came a silky voice. William turned his attention toward Mercy. She was looking directly at him and it was becoming a bit unnerving.

"She's an avid reader and a quick learner. We didn't have to teach her anything. She just picked it up on her own." Mercy was still looking at William. Her golden eyes swept over his face before going back around the room. Everyone kept silent as she swung around the counter to face the kitchen and jumped off of her perch.

"So, what are you." Charles asked. He seemed perfectly fine talking to a lab bred hybrid. Mercy didn't answer. She was rummaging in the refrigerator and apparently didn't hear him. She took out a carton of milk and poured it into a glass she had gotten out of the cabinet. She took a sip of it before coming to sit in the living room with the rest of the normal humans.

"Homo felis silvestrius catus." She stated. Charles looked at her in confusion then looked toward Dr. Addison for an answer. She smiled while nodding his head.

"Human Cat."

Okay. I think that's a good place to stop. I don't know if anyone's used to the super natural world thing but I hope you liked it. And I hope you review!! That being said, if I do get review (and even if I don't) I should update sometime next week. Keep reading and reviewing!!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello!!! Alright, so everyone who reviewed said this was different. I hope that's different in a good way. We'll have to find out. Someone also said that this sounds like Dark Angel (or something like that). I've never watched it so if the plot sounds even more familiar, I swear, I've never heard anything about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Mercy was used to daily check ups. She went into an all white room and was poked and prodded on. But today was different. The only other time they had used the giant screen and holographic settings was when she was first created two months ago. Now that there was company, she felt like she was on display. The giant screen was made out of millions of tiny squares of glass that covered the entire wall. Pictures were transmitted from the computers to this screen. Right now her human form was circulating on the screen. One of the men on white lab coats handed Doctor Addison a clipboard.

"Mercy Cource. Pronounced as course, spelled C-O-U-R-C-E. Born October 23 (1), 2007. Female. Homo sylvestrius catus. 5'5" and 115 pounds when human, 15 hands and 600 pounds (2) when cat."

"I'm sorry. October 23? That was, what, two months ago? How could she have grown to full size in such a short period of time?" Will asked, interrupting Dr. Addison.

"She wasn't born on a dish. Her DNA was created then placed inside a shell that we made in the shape of a human body. We inserted all the needed body parts into the shell including a package of blood that we slipped into an unanimated heart. Then we placed her in a steam cylinder that invigorates the body, busts the blood pack, and with in a matter of minutes she was awake. (3)" Dr. Addison walked over to Mercy and placed a stethoscope to her heart.

"So it's kind of like you created another Frankenstein." Charles said proudly. He did actually read. And then when he didn't understand the book, he watched the movie. Mercy gave him a sharp look from where she sat.

"Frankenstein was the last name of the man who created the monster, who didn't have a name. Besides, I am no beast of that sort. He might of had super strength and speed but I am more superior than even that." Dr. Addison nodded.

"I was getting to that. We've only used this method on one other specimen. Larry, which was the talking hamster you encountered. It's actually a miracle that it worked so well and is still working. In the beginning we pumped her full of steroids, vitamins, and other essentials because we were afraid that she'd fail at any second. But then she proved to be able to withstand life on her own. Unfortunately, her transformations are unstable. She can keep a full cat form for only a few minutes. Other body parts last longer such as a tail and ears." He tapped Mercy's chin with a thin metal dowel. "Open." he commanded. Mercy did as told and opened her mouth as wide as it could go. Dr. Addison motioned the group over and then leaned her head back so they all could see.

"Her permanent features are more subtle than the others. As you can see she constantly keeps her fangs." Everyone looked inside her mouth but backed away as soon as they made eye contact with her large canines.

"They're so big!" Caroline stated. "How come they don't come out of her mouth like a saber tooth's?" The doctor put on plastic gloves then folded down Mercy's bottom lip.

"Notice that the maxillary lateral incisors (4) are set farther back than normal teeth to allow the fangs room. Also," he added. "There are grooves in the gum line that, when the mouth is closed, the fangs fit snugly into that groove. The eyes, also, keep cat form. The pupils are slitted and the color is golden unless she is angered. Then they turn a silver color. There is only one other physical thing that identifies her as a cat and that is the patch of fur right above her pants line." Dr. Addison pressed a button on the table and is swivelled around so that Mercy's back was facing the group. He lifted her shirt so that the visitors could see the soft diamond of fur that jutted from her back.

"I'd advise you not to touch." He added as Caroline slowly reached out for it. Mercy smirked from her position. Nobody it. Dr. Addison twirled the table back to it's previous state then walked away from the table.

"This is her cat form." he said while gesturing to the wall screen. Will heard typing behind him and a picture appeared on the many glass squares. Circulating on the wall was a giant feline. Her fur was white but the end of her tail and the points of her ears were jet black. (5)

"She is long-haired and large in size. I wasn't going for normal house cat. I wanted something that was rather mythical. She has a bite measurement of 497 pounds (6)." Dr. Addison kept on with the facts of the animal but Will was sidetracked. He chanced glances at Mercy who didn't seem to care for all of this. She had leaned back and was softly snoring in her sleep. She seemed like any other person except for the fangs and fur, that is. He scanned over the wall screen that was displaying her, the facts, and her vital signs.

"Any questions?" Dr. Addison asked, breaking Will out of his thoughts. Charles started to raise his hand and then put it down realizing he didn't have to.

"Yeah. Why are you telling us this? What are we supposed to do with her?" Dr. Addison walked over to Mercy and prodded her awake. She sat up as if she had never went to sleep and then got off the table and went over to a closet.

"You are to train and develop her. I don't have time for it so I called EREA. The sent you. You're supposed to be the best trainers." Mercy came back with an armful of gadgets. He put them on the table.

"We train things like monkeys and seals...not giant man-eating cats." Caroline chimed in.

"I've never eaten a man in my life." Mercy said.

"You've only lived for two months." Will stated. "Who says you won't?"

" I do." Mercy said confidently. "Nobody can give my word but myself."

"What are you doing?" Charles asked Dr. Addison as he put a collar around Mercy's neck. He looked up as if he had forgotten they were there.

"You can't go up there with her without a leash." he said pointing to the ceiling and farther to above ground.

"It's going to look stupid when we come out of here with a human on a leash." Caroline said. That is the only thing she cared about, how she looked.

"Parents sometimes leash their children. Mercy's only two months old." Dr. Addison stated as if it was the most obvious thing. After he had fastened the buckle on the collar he threw the slack to Will who caught it with ease. Mercy came to stand by his side like a dog. Maybe she was used to a collar. Looks like she didn't need much training.

"What kind of training?" Will asked. "If you want her to be obedient then that's done." Dr. Addison shook his head.

"I want you to develop her. Make her learn how to stay in cat form. Teach her how to hunt and what to hunt." Will's eyebrow cocked.

"Are you going to let her go?" That seemed stupid. There was nothing of her kind in the wild or in the civilization.

"Thing about it. She could work for the police. She could replace the police. That's what I want you to train her to do." Will's eyes widened.

"And what if she doesn't want to." Dr. Addison shot a wary eye toward Mercy. She was looking at the golden bangles on Caroline's wrists.

"I'll talk to you later if you need more specifics or if you have more questions." he said quietly. "Alright well, I'll see you all later. Busy, busy, busy. I hope she'll be a good girl and works well for you." he said in a happier tone and shooed them out the door. "I'll light the halls that you have to go down to get out of here for you so you won't need me." he finally said before shutting the door. Every eye turned to Mercy who was licking her hand. She stopped when she felt all the attention.

"I...haven't cleaned myself since this morning." Everyone slowly nodded as if they really understood and then walked down the newly lit halls. They might have gotten into more than they bargained for.

Alright so that's the end of chapter two. There are a few things I need to explain and they are numbered in the passage above.

1. This is my birth date. (October 23, 1991)

2.That is the size and weight of my Welsch pony. I don't know how they measure cats but that's how they measure horses.

3.I have no idea whatsoever how I came up with this. If you have questions I'll _**try**_ to answer them but I'm not promising anything.

4.I had to Wikipedia that. I didn't just know it.

5.If you've every watched Inuyasha or collect the manga series, she looks a little like Kirara.

6. This means that if she bites you, you have 497 pounds of force biting you. That would probably break every bone in your body.

I think that explains everything. Believe me, this chapter did not come easy. I had to Wikipedia some things. But I got it out for you. Now in return you have to review. Please? Keep reading and reviewing!!


	3. Chapter 3

Alrightee!! I know it's kind of been a long wait, but it's here now. So let's get this story going!!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Will Darcy gave an annoyed look to the feline woman staring at him from behind the glass.

"You haven't even tried to transform." Mercy gave him an incredulous look and crossed her arms.

"I just destroyed the enemy! That's what you told me to do. Besides the fur patch on my back got bigger. What do you expect?" Will's eye twitched.

"I expect to see a cat destroy the hologram next time!! Not a human with a patch of fur and sharp teeth!! Besides, the only reason you are fighting the holograms is to trigger a transformation." He shouted through the speaker. Mercy's golden eyes rolled in their sockets.

"Well, those pathetic things are getting the job done. Send out the biggest bastard you got." came her diluted voice through the glass. Will huffed when Mercy turned her back to him and he turned to the computerman beside him.

"Send out the prototype." He said. The man guffawed.

"We haven't tested it yet. We don't know if it's safe!!" Will stared at Mercy's back which was covered in a black spandex gear suit.

"We're testing it now." He reached over the man, typed in the needed code on the keyboard, and pressed enter himself. Transparent force fields covered the glass as a circle of light burst from the middle of the room. From the portal in the floor sprung a serpent like beast. It's green scales shimmered as it flew up and around Mercy.

Will focused on the patch of fur on her back that showed through a hole in the suit. The hologram didn't trigger anything. She didn't even twitch. Will met Mercy's eyes when she turned around.

"You sent me a leviathan? He's pathetic." she laughed as she jutted her finger toward the snake. It flicked it's spiked tail angrily at her. She jumped and landed between two of the spikes. "Give me five minutes. You can time me if you want." And with that she ran up the length of it's back. Her speed increased until she was a blur.

Alarms went off in the analysis room. Will looked around at all the screens. The heat detectors showed red and orange flickering all over her computer body. Her heart beat increased dramatically. He whipped around to the HD screens and checked all her signs. Her claws and fangs elongated. The silver underlay of her hair spread and the patch of fur jutted from her back.

"This is it!" he told the computer man. "We're going to get a transformation!!" he closely watched as she prepared for an attack and smoothly launched it.

Mercy smirked as she hit major pulse point of the serpent. She could feel it's vibrations running up her arms. She reached it and thrust her hand through the tough skin.

At the last minute, the serpent emitted an acidic smoke from it's mouth. Mercy's hand flew to her mouth as the other one broke through to the other side of the snake's body. The snake disappeared from under her and she fell to the floor that was covered with the fog.

Will triggered the water works and bouts of water shot from all over the room, clearing the smoke. Their eyes shot open as the steam cleared from the glass.

Mercy stood there with her arms crossed and one white ear tipped with black sticking out of the top of her head.

"You happy?" she said. The man beside Will laughed. His hands clenched at his sides.

"No, I'm not."

Will, Charles, and Caroline all sat in a room surrounding a desk. A ringing filled Will's ear as he impatiently waited for Dr. Addison to pick up. Finally, he picked up.

"Dr. Addison speaking. Please don't be someone I don't like." he said. Will rolled his eyes as Charles laughed.

"I'll have to use that sometime." he said.

"It's not even funny. Don't use it." Caroline hissed. Will shushed them before speaking.

"It's William Darcy from EREA. We're calling about Mercy Cource." he said slowly, in case the kook didn't remember.

"Ah, yes. How is the girl?"

"Well, she's been having trouble transforming. I was wondering if you had any suggestions." Dr. Addison laughed on the other side.

"Oh she won't fully transform for a while now. It comes with time and maturity." Will's shoulders fell and he sighed. This whole situation was really pissing him off. Dr. Addison's hushed tone caught his attention and he began listening intently.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about her. It would be a big help to me if you keep her a secret." Will's eyebrows scrunched.

"But you wanted to develop her for the police force or the government. What do you mean keep her a secret."

"Yes, yes. That's great but not until she is able to control her transformation. When she is introduced to the world, I don't want her to switch back from cat to human. She should stay as a cat."

"I see." Will said while leaning against the desk. "Anything else I should know?" he could practically hear the doctor brighten up on the other end of the line.

"No. That's all. Have beetle I need to be working on. Hope things get better. BYE!!!" and then he hung up. Will held the phone away from his ear. Dr. Addison had said that so fast that it almost didn't make sense. Almost.

"So what did he tell you?" asked Caroline. Will put down the phone.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Mercy sat on her bed reading. Her eyebrows were scrunched together as she tried to comprehend what was in front of her.

"Come in." she stated. The door opened and Will walked in.

"I hadn't knocked yet. I was Actually further down the hall." Mercy shrugged.

"You were going to come in anyway." Will came closer to the bed.

"How are you feeling." Mercy continued to stare at the book.

"Fine. You." Will chuckled.

"I meant...you're not sore or tired from training?" she shook her head.

"No...can I ask you a question?" Will nodded.

"Yes. You can." Finally, he would be able to have a conversation with her. Maybe find out something.

"Aren't ducks supposed to be yellow?" Will frowned.

Or not.

"Yes. Why?" Mercy held up the book.

"This one is purple." Will stared at the purple duck on the page.

"It's a children's book. It's supposed to keep them interested."

"I think it's confusing." Will rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you think a lot of things are confusing." he mumbled. Mercy froze. Her eyes fell and she fingered the book.

"I do." Will sat on the edge of the bed.

"I didn't mean to insult you. I know things are different for you but..."

"It's okay. Things are confusing. Like this book. It's called "The Ugly Duckling." Will nodded.

"Yes. I'm familiar with it." he chuckled. It was nice to be sarcastic with a being that's supposed to be supernaturally smart.

"The duckling was really a baby swan and the others thought he was ugly. Just because he was different, doesn't mean he's ugly." she said quietly. Will cocked his head.

"But they found out he was swan and they didn't think he was ugly."

"So it's okay then. It didn't matter what he was. It was still mean. I think baby swan's are cute." she said turning to him. His eyes bugged as she came closer. He put a hand on her back to calm her down.

"I do too. And your right. It was wrong of the ducks to think such a way. Is that all you wanted to ask me?" Mercy sat back and put the book to the side.

"Uh...yeah. Thanks. I'm fine. Good night." Will smiled and then left the room.

If that's the way she thought about herself then he would just have to make her think otherwise. Everyone had too. The last thing they needed was a depressed supernatural giant cat on their hands.

Tomorrow they would have a break and they'd go do something together.

"I wonder if she likes the park?" Will thought a loud.

_fin_

That took a while. Hopefully it was worth it for you and you want more. If so REVIEW NOW!!!! If not...REVIEW NOW!!!! If you don't care...REVIEW NOW!!!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews everyone. Here's your reward.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

"I've never been to a park before. Well...I haven't been to a lot of things before." Will chuckled.

"That's understandable. You're only two months and six days old." Mercy turned to stare at him.

"I am. Oh, that's right. I am." her voice faded to a quiet mumbling that Will couldn't hear. He cocked an eyebrow but decided to leave the matter alone.

They were the only ones in the part that morning. It was peaceful and quiet. Perfect for and early morning walk. Even so, Will couldn't keep his mind off his work. What could trigger a transformation? Did Mercy know? Will looked around for Mercy who had left his side. He walked further along the path and turned the corner. There she was, sniffing a flower. He stared at her bent form, wonderingly. If he hadn't of known that she was a hybrid cat, he wouldn't be able to tell. Dr. Addison did some amazing work with her.

"What is this called?" she asked. Well, except for lack of knowledge, he would've never known.

"That is a rose." he said, walking up to her. She smiled up at him.

"It smells good. I like it." Will chuckled as she stood up.

"Most women do." he said simply. Mercy joined him at his side and they once again started down the path.

"Do a lot of people come here?" Mercy wondered a loud. Will had gotten used to her many questions and felt comfortable answering them.

"Sometimes, yes. I don't come here often, but I suppose they do." Mercy fingered the sleeve of her red sweater.

"I'm not used to a lot of people." her gold eyes shifted around the park. It was the middle of fall which gave the ground an autumn look. Almost all the leaves had changed and the grass was a dull gray.

"You'll eventually get used to people. You'll have to. EREA will help you though. It's part of your training." Will looked down at Mercy as she sighed.

"More training?"

"Well, yes. To work on your two forms and appearance. Caroline will work with you on that." Mercy began licking her hand and rubbing her forehead. Will grabbed her wrist and pulled it down.

"And no more licking yourself." he said quietly. He looked around, making sure no one saw her display.

"I was bathing." she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You took a bath this morning. Didn't you?" he asked.

"Yes. Sorry, it's just a habit."

"It's fine. Just don' t do it anymore." Will heard a voices from up ahead and slid his hand down to grab hers. He intertwined their fingers, drawing Mercy close to him as the group of girls passed. He was silent until he knew they were out of hearing range then looked down at a confused Mercy.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Will let go of her hand and put his own in his pocket. Mercy did the same and stuffed her hands in her jeans.

"It's expected. It would have looked strange if I had you by the wrist. Like I was dragging you." Mercy pulled her hands out of her pockets and fiddled with her sleeve again.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry if I confused you." Will said apologetically. Mercy shook her head.

"No. It's fine. I just didn't know what you were doing." A cold wind blew making Mercy's dark locks blow around her form. She cuddled up against Will and locked her arms around his elbow.

"It'd be nice to have more fur now." her muffled voice said. Her face was hidden in his jacket. Will smiled as he placed an arm around her shoulders. She huddled closer to his side, allowing his body to warm hers.

"It's nice to have a break for once. From all the labs and training." Mercy said. Will nodded. He reminded himself that next time they had a break to do something that didn't require them to get this close. It was okay this one time. He was keeping her warm. EREA needed her healthy. But only this once was it okay.

"Do you wear makeup?"

"No."

"Do you fix your hair often?"

"No."

"Have you ever gone to a public place?"

"No."

Caroline growled.

"She is hopeless. How can I work with her? There is a gala coming up and she has no experience in clothes or people." Mercy sat on a stool in her huge walk in closet. She glared up at Caroline.

"It's not my fault. I never had to worry about these things." she was getting irritated with the woman and was wishing she would go away.

"Come one Care. It shouldn't be that hard. She doesn't need that much makeup and she could easily pull off anything you put on her." Charles Bingley said. He sat backwards in a chair, looking through a car magazine. Caroline glared at him.

"Oh, and your so ready to throw out compliments. Why don't you help her?" Caroline spat. Charles scoffed.

"You're supposed to be the expert. But whatever, she'd look sexy in something black and tight. Oh, or gold, like her eyes." Mercy blushed from the compliments. Caroline didn't seem so happy though.

"Charles, get out. I don't know why I asked you in here." Caroline grabbed the blush and started applying it on Mercy's cheeks. Charles shrugged and walked out of the closet .

"Don't pay any attention to him. He'll compliment anything that's pretty and walks." Mercy sat silent as Caroling attacked her face.

"You have beautiful skin, but you are so pale. I'm just going to apply a little color and...there." Caroline thrust a mirror in her face. Mercy's eyes widened. It was an improvement. The blush on her high cheeks bones was a light pink that matched the tint of her clear lip gloss. Her eye were darkened by the smoky eye liner and mascara that framed her golden orbs. The lids were dusted with a pale suede that had the slightest shimmer. Caroline began messing with Mercy's hair while she held the mirror. She made part of the bang sweep down over one eye and the other half fall to the side of her chin. The rest went up in a bun.

"This is just an experiment. I don't know if I'll do your hair up or down for the gala." Mercy cocked a dark eyebrow.

"You keep on talking about this gala...but what is it for." Caroline smirked.

"For you, darling. Technically, you're supposed to be kept a secret...and you are...but it's a private gala. For EREA members only." Mercy fidgeted.

"How many people will be there." Caroline held colors and fabrics up to her skin.

"Oh, tons. EREA is a big company and does many things, despite the name. We don't only work with rare animals. People from all over the country will be there." Caroline had narrowed her search down to different shades of golds and yellows. Mercy huffed.

"Great."

"Round house. Left hook. Left. Left. Right. Don't be afraid to hit me! Left. Harder!" Mercy growled at the man in front of her. He was pushing her against her limits. To her right, Will and Charles were examining her movements and video taping her. Sweat rolled down Mercy's back and gathered in her diamond fur patch which gave her the itching urge to bathe. Finally, the attacks stopped. Mercy put her hands on her knees which were shaking.

"That'll be all for today." George Wickham said. Mercy growled in response. The defense tutor turned to Will and Charles.

"For a supernatural being, I expected more." Mercy stood up.

"There will be more. You'll see tomorrow." George smirked.

"I'm only here two times a week. You won't see me until Friday." Mercy walked past him toward Charles who handed her a towel.

"Be ready Friday then." George took off the boxing gloves.

"Is that a threat?" he asked casually.

"Yes." Mercy hissed. He smirked. Will and Charles looked at each other with unsure looks on their faces.

"Good. You better give it your all. Otherwise, you'll be laid up for a while." Mercy flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder.

"Don't be cocky." George left and Will came to her side.

"You shouldn't provoke him. He doesn't like to be messed with." Mercy laughed.

"Neither do I. You want a transformation. The only way that's going to happen is if I'm pushed beyond my limits. We need to make that happen any way possible." She slung the towel over her shoulder and left the training room.

"How can I argue with that."

"You can't. I'm going to go take a bath." Will watched Mercy ascend the stairs. He had to admit, she was feisty.

_fin_

Pretty long huh? Review please!!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello!! I'd like to thank everyone who has joined me so far in this adventure. I'd also like to thank you for reviewing. Now if you can get any of your friends to read and review...that would be much appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

:

"You ready?"

Mercy stared up into Wills' eyes. Doubt and fear crowded his orbs. She squeezed his hand, which held her, reassuringly.

"Better than ever." she whispered. He grabbed her waist and their faces came agonizingly close. Mercy slid her hands up to Will's broad shoulders while their noses brushed ever so lightly.

"Alright then. Lets do this." he said before swinging her off of her check-up podium and onto the floor.

"We'll check you over after practice, too." Mercy followed close behind Will as they entered the approached the practice arena.

Mercy waved her hand at him as she walked through the door he opened for her.

"Sure. Whatever." she said nonchalantly. Will cocked a smirk and leaned in the doorway.

"Don't die." he teased. Mercy glared at him as she pulled on black textured gloves.

"Touching." The door slammed as she walked to the mat.

George Wickham stood in the far corner brandishing a sword. Mercy cocked her head when he looked up.

"Are we using weapons?" she asked. To the left the shields pulled back in the viewing deck. There, Will and Charlie stood. They weren't paying attention since they hadn't given the signal to fight.

"I thought you had full range of your claws and fangs." he said while slicing into a punching bag. Fluff flew everywhere and once it cleared, Mercy got a full view of George's smirk.

"I do. But I don't necessarily want to _**bite**_ you. Everything I put in my mouth is clean." she said with a smug smile. George growled at her and then turned his attention to the viewing deck.

"When will you give the bloody signal?" he yelled. Charles looked at him like he was crazy and then cupped a hand to his ear.

"When will you give the signal?!" George yelled louder. Charles made more motions saying that he couldn't here him.

"TURN ON THE DAMN SIGNAL!!" A vein popped out on his neck and his face turned red. Mercy giggled from behind him.

Will glared at Charles, who was making faces on the glass, and reached up to flip the switch to the speakers.

"What now?" he asked clearly. George's shoulders heaved heavily.

"Are we ready now?" his voice was raspy and made him sound even more mean.

Will shrugged. "Yeah, whenever you are."

George scowled then readied his position as the red light turned green and the practice arena's door locked.

"I've been ready." he said, voice seething. He flicked the sword around his wrist and readied his stance. Mercy copied the movement, tensing her feline muscles.

"Ladies first." she teased.

George yelled as he lunged forward stabbing the air as Mercy leaped out of his way. She pulled daggers out of her boots and parried the blows that he sent her way. The metal of the blades scraped against each other sending a ring around the room. Mercy was at a complete disadvantage using a short distance weapon against a long distance weapon. But with her amplified body, she guessed it evened out.

She bent to the side, stretching her obliques, dodging a thrust from the man. Her hand caught her upper body and lifted the rest into a hand stand. There, she kicked George's chest sending him spiraling backwards. He cried out in surprise as he landed on his back and bounced onto his stomach.

Mercy squatted and then leaped into the air, her body stretching and preparing for free fall. Her hands landed on each side of his head and her body followed to trap him under her.

"Too bad." she said, breathing heavily. "You lose." And with that she jabbed two fingers onto the pressure point on his neck, successfully knocking him unconscious.

The light in front of the viewing deck turned red. Mercy pulled herself from off of the floor and the sleeping body. The door to the arena swung open and clapping could be heard from the outside. Mercy pulled some of her fallen bangs out of her face and gave them a weary smile.

"Did I pass?"

Charles laughed. "I'd say so, what about you?" He asked looking up at Will.

"You didn't transform." he said simply.

Mercy raised an eyebrow and gave him a cocky grin. "You actually expected a transformation during that fight? He was pathetic."

"I'll tell him that when he wakes up." Charles said as he came through the arena door and stooped to check George's heartbeat.

"Screw that. I'll tell him myself. And don't worry, he's not dead."

"Good to know." Will said, slapping on a glove.

"Does this have to be so tight." Mercy asked tugging on the golden, satin strings of her corset. Caroline slapped her hand away from the back of the dress.

"If it was any looser it would fall off of you. Why did Dr. Addison make you so skinny. Plus, you're all muscles. It was hard to make you look feminine. But I did it nonetheless." she said, a grin lighting up her face.

"It's so elaborate." she said eyeing herself in the body length mirror.

"It's an elaborate gala. All eyes will be on you. Don't you want to be appealing?" Caroline asked.

Mercy sighed and looked at Caroline's own attire. It wasn't nearly as intricate as hers. Simply a light pink, dipped neck, floor length dress.

"Yes. I suppose."

"Alright." Caroline said, finished with Mercy's long hair. "You'll be on Will's arm. Be sure you stay there the entire time. There is a lot of money out for you and we don't want you stolen."

Mercy snorted which earned her a slap on the hand.

"That's not very lady-like. As I was saying, talk with Will, dance with Will, do whatever you want but don't stray from him. Okay?"

Mercy nodded her head in understanding.

"Are you ready?" Will's voice asked from the bedroom.

"Come see." Caroline called out.

Will entered the walk-in closet in his suit. Caroline sucked in a breath and leaned into Mercy's ear.

"Girl, you don't know how lucky you are." she said before walking out the closet to argue with Charles.

Mercy didn't notice anything until Will stepped up behind her in the mirror. She gasped and covered her body from his eyes.

"Don't." he said as he took a hold of her wrists and pulled them away from her body. "You're beautiful."

Mercy's golden eyes fixed themselves once again on her lithe body. The dress fitted her body marvelously. The corset was black along with the form fitting skirt. Pinstripe gold ran it's way all the way down the dress where gold satin sprouted from just below her knees in ruffles that lay elegantly on the floor.

"You'll take everyone's breath away." Will said right against her neck. Mercy turned to face him, tilting her head so that she could see his eyes.

"What about you? Do I take your breath away?"

Will reached for her hand and brought it up to his lips to brush a kiss over it.

"Of course. I've had trouble breathing for a while." he joked.

Mercy's tinkle of a laugh caused Will to smile bigger. He took her arm and lead her out of the closet.

"Act like that for the rest of the night and everything will go smoothly."

Sooo...a little short. A filler, yes. The next chapter will the be the gala. I know some of you are dying to read it so it should be out soon...er or later. Can't be too soon. I do have other stories to attend to. Ahem...

Sincerely, _straightjacket_


	6. Chapter 6

All I have to say is that I'm soooooooo sorry that this has taken so long to come out. Work is taking up most of my attention. Why? Oh, mainly because I'm getting paid to do it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

I've always been surrounded by silence. The scientist's that worked on me never knew what would be instilled in my brain. Therefore they never talked in the lab.

But I've never experienced anything like this.

Apparently rumors spread quickly....even all the way to Africa and China.

Scientists and the tycoons of the world had gathered into the White House strictly on a rumor. For all they know, I could be just some other woman.

Lucky for them...I'm not.

::

"She's gorgeous..."

"Too gorgeous."

Mercy rolled her eyes. Of course they had to bring their gossiping wives and lovers, too.

"Are you okay?" Will whispered into her ear.

She smiled. "I'm fine."

"Good to know. Tell me when you're about to freak out."

"Why would I freak out?" Mercy asked. She slid closer to Will as a woman in a tight corset and skirt almost bumped into her. Purposefully or not?

"People here can get a little dramatic."

"You mean the back-stabbing whores that the big boys picked up off the streets."

"...yes. That's what I mean."

"Consider me informed." She smiled brilliantly at a balding business man as she and Will slowly passed him.

Will cocked an eyebrow at her. "In a flirting mood?" he asked.

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" Mercy asked, still smiling.

"In a moderate form."

"Oh alright. For your jealous sake, I'll tone it down."

Will nodded politely to the people passing him. They were Chinese. The men were dressed in gray suits with gold cuff links and buttons. The women on their arms wore tight modern kimonos.

"I'm not jealous." he said looking down at her.

"Sure."

"I'm not."

"I don't believe you." She said finally looking up at him.

"Why would I be jealous?" Will asked.

"Why wouldn't you be?" Her cocky air and grin made Will smile.

"Was that vain attitude programmed into you or did you pick that up on your own?" He joked. There was a pause before he stopped them.

"You okay?" His smile vanished in a second.

Mercy kept her eyes in front of her. "Um...it was programmed."

Will pulled her towards the wall where no one stood. "Mercy..."

"Let's go dance." She said smiling and pulling him to the middle of the floor.

"Mercy." he stopped her. "If we need to talk about this we can."

She turned away from him and led him by the hand. "There's nothing to talk about. So I was built. Some things are programmed others are progressive. How am I supposed to progress without being cocky? I'm a superior being."

She turned back around and smiled while sidling up to Will. "New subject."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Okay. How about that fact that the world leader behind you is looking at you and his other half is getting very jealous."

"My dress is tight. I'm gorgeous. You're gorgeous. He has a right to stare." she said laughing.

Will laughed with her. "Well, if you think of it that way, I guess he has a reason."

"Of course."

Soon, the music stopped and everyone turned to clap for the orchestra.

"I think I'll learn how to play the violin." Mercy said, still clapping.

"Really. And when will you have time to do that?"

Mercy shrugged. "I don't _have_ to sleep."

They both chuckled. So far the night had turned out to be enjoyable for both of them. Their happiness hadn't been interrupted and the longing looks of the men and the nasty glares of the women hadn't gotten any worse. They hadn't gotten any better, either.

"Where are Caroline and Charles? I haven't seen them all night. I thought Caroline would be flirting and Charles would be drunk by now." Mercy inquired.

"Usually, they would be." Will said. "But not tonight. Their doing damage control tonight."

"Damage control? Is that why no one is talking to us?"

"Yes and...oh crap." Will looked behind Mercy to see Caroline hurrying towards them. "Maybe we should run while we still can." he finished.

Before Will could grab her elbow, Caroline caught up with Mercy, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry...but I couldn't stop them. I don't know what to say." Caroline started.

"What is it?" Will asked impatiently. His moods changed suddenly.

"They want a demonstration." Caroline answered.

"Well, tell them that, that cannot happen."

"They said they would leave. How are we going to promote her if no one wants her."

Mercy was growing annoyed. Everyone was talking about her but not to her. Was she so short that everyone could just talk over her head?

"Look, it's not a problem, I'll go up there and give them a little demonstration." Mercy said, pushing past Caroline and Will.

"No. We can't do that." Will said, gripping her arm tighter.

"And why not?" Mercy pulled her arm away. "I can take care of myself and, over all, it's my decision." She turned and walked up to the stage. A hush landed on the room. She turned back to the crowd with a bored mask on her face.

Slowly, her dress rustled and a dark patch peeked out of the bottom of her dress. Soon, the rest of her white tail flowed out and around her as she swished it around.

The crowd gasped but some still looked at her with disbelief.

Alright she thought, how about this?

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and she grew her ears. Like her tail, the black tips pointed out from her matching hair like horns but then the white followed.

That surprised everyone. Everyone but the irritating man in the back. Mercy gathered her skirts and then jumped on the nearest table, keeping on the tips of her toes. As if weightless she jumped from table to table until she stood menacingly in front of the man and the females on either side of him. He pushed his chair back but otherwise sat motionless. His eye candy on the other hand scurried away from the table.

"Is something wrong with your face?" Mercy asked, crouching down and twitching her tail.

A smug smile tugged at the corner of the mans mouth. "Why would something be wrong with me face?" he asked. His voice had an irritating challenge dripping from it.

"It's been screwed up in the same position for the past ten minutes. I thought I might have to be worried." Mercy replied.

Will watched off to the side. He wasn't too worried. Mercy was a big girl. She could take care of herself. He did wonder what was going through Michael Strong's head right now. Was he scheming or was he just getting a good look?

Depending on how you looked at the situation, Mercy either looked intimidating or sexy. She was crouched on the edge of the cloth covered table as if she were ready to pounce. Her hair spilled over her shoulders and her ears and tail twitched in rage. The dress hugged her tightly and bunched around her hips and knees. Will was pretty sure her fangs were reflecting glares from the chandeliers.

"I don't know what to make of you." Michael's deep voice brought Will back to the present.

"You could just stare in awe like everyone else." The sharp bite in Mercy's voice was gone and was replaced by silky sarcasm.

"Believe me. I'm in awe of you. I probably respect you more than any one else here."

Mercy slipped off the table and stood beside the man, her leg brushing his. "Good. Let's make sure it stays that way Mr......?"

"Strong. But call me Michael."

"Michael." she said as she turned to walk away.

"And I assume I can call you Mercy." he said while standing.

Mercy walked to Will's side where he helped her into her coat. "Are you aware of what happens when we assume Mr. Strong?"

Not one to be discouraged, Michael chuckled. "Yes Miss Cource. I'm very aware.

Later that night, as Mercy sat on her bed brushing her hair, Caroline approached her.

"Michael Strong is a very powerful man." she said simply.

"Yes. I know."

"A very dangerous man, too."

"I am aware."

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

Mercy smiled up at Caroline, enjoying the moment of peace between them. "I appreciate that but I assure you....I'm positive that I'm more dangerous than he is."

Caroline chuckled. "I suppose you are." And with that she stepped out of the room.

Two days later....

"Will...." Charles said as he stepped into the monitoring room.

"Yeah." Will was staring out the window at the meditating Mercy inside.

"You might want to look at this." he handed him a creased letter.

"What is it?"

Charles did not answer. He was scared of his friend's response.

Will skimmed over the letter and then flew out the door, slamming it in the process. A cry escaped from the safe room as Mercy broke her meditating state. She quickly stood up and exited the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a firm voice.

Charles just looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "Stronghold has offered to buy you."

Mercy was speechless. "And Stronghold is....?"

"A company...owned by Michael Strong."


End file.
